A review by marywahlmeierbracciano
Innards: Stories by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene

challenging sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

In her literary debut, Magogodi oaMphela Makhene paints a picture of South African life—past and present—which was, and is, so much more than apartheid.  This humanization allows for an explosion of culture and play, alongside grief and trauma.  Many of these interconnected stories are about large-scale displacement and disruption, but not without the intimacy that flows from one moment to the next.  I found Innards not only to be a powerful source of truth, but more importantly, an empowering reclamation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail